| Broadbridge Heath | |
|---|---|
 St John's Church in 2006, with sculpture byEdward Bainbridge Copnall | |
  Broadbridge Heath Location withinWest Sussex | |
| Area | 2.16 km2 (0.83 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 3,021 [1]2001 Census 3,112 (2011 Census)[2] |
| • Density | 1,401/km2 (3,630/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ150315 |
| • London | 31 miles (50 km)NNE |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HORSHAM |
| Postcode district | RH12 |
| Dialling code | 01403 |
| Police | Sussex |
| Fire | West Sussex |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Parish Council |
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Broadbridge Heath is a village andcivil parish in theHorsham district ofWest Sussex, England. It is about two miles (3 km) west from the historic centre ofHorsham. The population of Broadbridge Heath has increased considerably in the first two decades of the twenty-first century because of large scale housing development (79% from 2013 to 2019 according toOffice For National Statistics).
The earliest evidence of human activity in what is now Broadbridge Heath dates to the Mesolithic period, in the form of flint implements found in theWickhurst Green area. Later evidence of settlement in the parish includes severalIron Ageroundhouses.[3]
The land now occupied by Broadbridge Heath was originally adetached portion of the parish ofSullington, part of a mediaeval system oftranshumance whereby villagers from downland villages would drive their livestock into theLow Weald to graze on acorns, grass and beech mast.[4] A manor at Broadbridge was occupied by Roger Covert in the 1290s.[5]
The village began as a scattered group of houses around an unenclosed common before the 19th century, and by 1844 there were about twelve houses and an inn. Deposits ofHorsham Stone have long been quarried in the area and in 2016 one working quarry existed to west of the village. In spite of the enclosure of the heath in the 1850s, there was little further development until the late 1880s when land along the main Horsham to Five Oaks Road was offered for sale and a number ofsemi-detached houses were built there over the next 13 years.[5]
After theSecond World War, the pace of development increased and large new housing estates were built to the south of the village. In August 1950 the Headquarters for Bomb Disposal Units (UK), Royal Engineers moved to a site on Wickhurst Lane; in 1951 theSchool of Bomb Disposal, which had been based inChatham since 1949, arrived on site so that it was co-located with the Headquarters. In 1959 it was renamed the Joint Service Bomb Disposal School. The Bomb Disposal School moved out toLodge Hill in 1966[6] and a supermarket and leisure centre were built on the vacant land in the 1980s.[7]
The opening of theA264 Broadbridge Heath by-pass in the 1970s reduced traffic congestion in the village.
In 2013-16 a development of 1,500 houses was constructed to the south of the Horsham by-pass, under the name Wickhurst Green. As part of this development, in March 2014,West Sussex County Council proposed a new 'Quadrant' area south of the village, that would include a new leisure centre and other recreational services to serve Horsham but to be built in Broadbridge Heath.[8]
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Shelley Primary School, located on Wickhurst Lane provides education for boys and girls aged between 4 and 11 years.
Broadbridge Heath has aNon-League football clubBroadbridge Heath F.C. who play at the High Wood Hill Sports Ground next to the Bridge Leisure Centre. The Bridge Leisure Centre consists of a full size running track, athletic facilities and football pitch as well as the District's Indoorbowls Centre. TheGrenadian Olympic Team trained at the Centre in the weeks preceding theLondon 2012 Olympic Games, at whichKirani James won Grenada's first Olympic gold medal in the men's 400m. Horsham Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (HAODS) are also based at The Bridge Leisure Centre.
Broadbridge Heath also has acricket club whose two teams play in the Sussex Cricket League (which is the biggest league in the UK) and the Sussex Slam during midweek.Closely linked with the cricket club is the Broadbridge HeathStoolball Club. On the same site, Broadbridge Heath Tennis Club have two courts. All these three clubs are situated at the 'Top Common' in the village.
The village is situated at the junction of theA24 and theA264 roads. Bus services serving the village are operated byArriva Southern Counties, Compass Travel,Metrobus and Sussex Coaches.[11] The nearest railway station is atChrist's Hospital althoughHorsham has more frequent services. The nearest airport isLondon Gatwick.
Neighbouring areas | |
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The poetPercy Bysshe Shelley, was born at Field Place, which stands about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the village.[12]
The bestselling novelistGeorgette Heyer lived at the Swan Ken cottage in Broadbridge Heath, for six months from April 1931.[13]
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